This daylong New York event is a must-attend for luxury retailers, luxury brands, publishers, ad agencies and market researchers looking for strategic and tactical advice, tips, case studies and research on luxury retailing, especially in the run-up to the holidays. At this exclusive summit organized by this publication at the National Museum of the American Indian across from Manhattan’s Battery Park downtown, attendees will get to listen and meet with key executives moving the needle for luxury retail, marketing and media. The conference, whose agenda is below, will be limited to only 200 delegates.

“Luxury retailing is poised for a transformation as several forces reshape the environment, forcing luxury retailers and brands to balance brand exclusivity with the pressure to scale and grow,” said Mickey Alam Khan, editor of Luxury Daily, New York.

“While several sectors have struggled since the slowdown in 2008, luxury retail has, more or less, held its own and even posted growth,” he said. “However, the growing influence of digital channels, the proliferation of brand-owned retail stores, industry consolidation, the evolving role of department stores and the temptation to discount all cast a shadow on luxury retail.”

This editorially-led conference from Luxury Daily, the world’s leading luxury business publication, will debate these issues and help luxury retailers and brands benchmark against best practice and their peers’ efforts.

Under discussion will be an analysis of luxury retailing from the 1960s to the ‘90s and its future prospects, how to build an all-round luxury lifestyle brand taking inspiration from its DNA, the role of design in building a durable and sustainable business and brand evolution in new and old markets and cultures.

The agenda will also include deliberations on maintaining the brand’s roots while extending it into a complementary market, how digital will disrupt luxury retailing and marketing and trends as luxury retailers and marketers head into the holiday season.

Attendees will get access to all presentations made at the event.

The event is priced at $695 for the day, which includes breakfast, lunch and cocktails. Refunds will not be given 72 hours before the event or for no-shows on the day of the conference.

For sponsorship, please contact ads@napean.com for prompt attention.

The Luxury Retail Summit: Holiday Focus 2013 is part of this publication’s exclusive summit series including Luxury FirstLook and Luxury Roundtable. The events’ core point of difference is their strong editorial spine with a deep-dive into topics under discussion.

The summit agenda can also be accessed via http://www.luxuryretailsummit.com.

Lalique: Becoming the ultimate French luxury lifestyle brand defined by five pillars

Founded in 1888, Lalique revolutionized modern jewelry design, evolving into creating decorative objects and furniture as well as large-scale projects for the Normandie cruise liner and the Orient Express train. House founder Rene Lalique collaborated with master perfumer Francois Coty to create the first branded perfume bottle, setting the precedent for how perfume is sold today. The French brand’s crystal products for which it is most widely known are considered heirlooms. Now, Lalique is mining its DNA to evolve the brand for the modern luxury customer. Indeed, it seeks to become the ultimate French luxury brand, growing its product franchise and the number of boutiques – at last count, 38 stores and 62 corners in department stores – in the United States and worldwide. This session will zero in on:

 Examining Lalique’s roots, including its jewelry designs, perfume bottle collaborations with Coty and other fashion houses such as Charles Worth and Nina Ricci and its magnificent architectural installations

 How Lalique continues the tradition of its founder through its five pillars and key collaborations with legacy brands such as Bentley Motors, Macallan and Parmigiani Fleurier

 An overview of Lalique’s strategy to create targeted events to educate customers and prospects about the brand

 How Lalique taps selects clients as ambassadors to share the message of the brand within their own circles

The benchmark for all department stores, Bergdorf Goodman has served its Old Money and wealthy clientele with distinction. The New York store’s attention to every customer whim has been its hallmark, and its sumptuous array of dresses, shoes, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics and fragrances from the world’s best luxury brands is the envy of all retailers. From concept to execution, Bergdorf ensures that the product shines, be it through window displays, floor presentation, online overtures or catalog treatment. Ira Neimark, former CEO of Bergdorf and director of Hermes of Paris, can take some credit for setting the bar high. Under his watch Bergdorf welcomed Diana, Princess of Wales, Jacqueline Onassis and Margaret Thatcher, as well as countless designers through its doors. However, much has changed since Mr. Neimark was in charge from the 1960s to the early ‘90s. In this session, attendees will learn:

 How Bergdorf Goodman earned its leadership position in luxury fashion retail

 How contemporary luxury retailers are boosting profits by skimping on service – at the cost of customer loyalty

 Maintaining the allure of the in-store shopping experience as digital channels proliferate

 The role of holidays in luxury retail

 Lessons learned from the 1960s to 1990s that are applicable even today

Porsche Design: How design with an emphasis on durability and sustainability drives the luxury retail business

The 40-year-old retail arm of one of the leading luxury automakers worldwide is on a tear: new company-owned stores opened in China and Germany and franchise outlets in Turkey, United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates and Mexico. Revenue was up 45 percent last year, proving growing demand for Porsche Design offerings in fashion, luggage, footwear, accessories, sports, watches, eyewear and electronics. The German company now has the distinction of being the most successful brand in London department store Harrods by sales per square meter. An entry into fashion has quickly made it the fastest-growing component of Porsche Design’s retail business. And a foray into handbags with the TwinBag is a harbinger of ambitions to come. The session will shed light on:

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts: Evolving the brand in new and old markets and cultures for growing segments

With 65 luxury properties worldwide including Shanghai’s Fairmont Peace Hotel, The Plaza in New York, Makkah Clock Royal Tower Hotel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, Canada, Fairmont seeks to evoke the core values of its brand: authentically local that blends presence with engaging service. Targeted marketing to its customers seeks out repeat business. Outreach to prospects introduces the Fairmont experience to those who have entered the ranks of the wealthy and wish to savor the new luxury: unforgettable experiences. While marketing is conducted year-round, Canadian-owned Fairmont’s approach to the holidays recognizes global, regional and local occasions. The overall effect is seasonal focus, cultural relevance and locally authentic. Attendees will learn:

 How the Fairmont travel and brand experience is defined and continues to evolve

 Marketing the Fairmont brand promise through each guest touch point

 How Fairmont targets the holiday-minded customer

 The state of luxury hospitality and travel, focusing on new segments and perceptions and attitudes by region

McLaren Automotive: Maintaining racing roots while embracing the new role of luxury automaker

With a Formula 1 racing history stretching back 50 years, Britain's McLaren took a crucial step in 2010 and launched a new automotive company to manufacture performance-driven sports cars. While staying true to its racing roots, McLaren continues to innovate in areas such as carbon fiber and transfer racing technology into its road cars. And although making premium cars anchors McLaren’s mission, a strong emphasis is placed on customer service and experience. This session will showcase:

 Defining McLaren customers: Who are they? What else do they own? What is their lifestyle?

 McLaren Automotive’s experience: How to launch a new company in a well-established marketplace

 Marketing that is most effective to reach the McLaren customer and outlets that work best

 Role of social and digital media in the McLaren marketing vision

 Bottom line: Role of franchise dealerships in representing the brand in the United States and overseas

Forrester Research: How digital will disrupt luxury marketing and retail

Barriers to entry in most markets have vanished. Unexpected competitors are not only rushing in, but disrupting the normal way of doing business. Blame digital media for that insurgency, everything from online to social and mobile. Consumers across the lifestyle spectrum are rapidly embracing technology that will give them easier access to products in every industry. With luxury products sitting at the top of the aspirational hierarchy, more consumers will use technology to learn about and engage with luxury marketers and retailers. In this session, attendees will learn:

 How digital disruption changes all industries, including luxury goods and services

 How and why to build a digital customer relationship

 How to engage digital customers at more times, in more places, with more products

Stark: Evolving a luxury floor coverings brand from trade-only business to retail

In business for 75 years, Stark won renown nationwide and overseas as a custom designer and supplier of carpets and rugs. The New York-based brand expanded over the years to include interior fabrics and wall-coverings for residential and commercial markets. In the latest evolution, the company is focusing on Stark Home, a concept that combines Stark’s core trade-only business with a retail component that offers retail customers access to select finished rugs by leading luxury brands. How the next generation of Starks takes the brand forward into direct-to-customer is a key focus of this session, including insights on:

 Stark’s brand heritage and how the luxury floor coverings market has transformed over the years

 Generational changes within Stark as it focuses on new strategic partnerships to attract the next generation of luxury-minded consumers

 Developing Stark Home to focus on interior designers, protect them on pricing and give them exclusive access to custom designs, while offering finished luxury rugs to retail customers

 Tips for luxury brands pivoting from wholesale to retail business models

Luxury retailing is undergoing a tremendous transformation. Starting with communication where consumers want to engage with their retailer or brand, the momentum has also shifted to digital media such as online, social and mobile. Yet, as digital connects and disconnects, the need for customer service in-store and in other channels is even more critical. Brands that once relied on department stores for a large portion of their business are now busy developing their direct-to-customer store, ecommerce and mobile commerce strategy. Panelists in this session will deliberate on their respective retailing and marketing strategy as well as:

 The key issue in luxury retailing and marketing in the run-up to the holidays

 The role of the store versus other channels such as ecommerce, mobile commerce and catalog

For car service to and from venue, please either hail a yellow cab taxi or take the 4 and 5 subway lines downtown to Bowling Green or the N or R subway lines downtown to Whitehall Street. For car service, please call 212-666-6666 or 212-777-7777. During evening hours, it takes about 30 to 45 minutes to get to La Guardia Airport from the museum, and about 45 minutes to an hour to John F. Kennedy International Airport or to Newark International Airport in Newark, NJ. The journey in maybe slightly shorter. A room has been set aside in the museum for summit registrants to leave their bags.